Fun with eggs........

The title of this post was suggested by my younger son. I thought I should indulge him. Years later when he reads the food diaries( or so I hope) it should cheer him up. The post is about eggs and scrambling eggs with assorted veggies is a lot of fun. Hence an apt title. Good job son! Naming the post is half the job done.

Bread and eggs are regular breakfast items in most households, made at least a couple of times during the week. Simple, understated and comforting, dress it up( stuffed masala) or down(plain), works equally well.

The best omelette's and scrambled eggs that I have had were made by my Dad. He had got himself a wonder hand blender and used it to whip up the frothiest coffee, the tastiest chutney and the fluffiest eggs. Sometimes we would ask him to use a fork to beat the eggs so that it got done faster. But he would be quite adamant about using the contraption and say: let me do my "ghur ghur"(referring to the sound the hand blender made). He took the task of making eggs very seriously(as with most of the cooking that he did). He would painstakingly chop all the vegetables, beat the eggs and grate the cheese. Then like an expert he would toss, flip, scramble and finally with a lot of gusto land some on our plates. " Always a little runny, that is the trick" he would instruct as I dug hungrily into mine. Dad loved kitchen gadgets and would sometimes sprinkle freshly ground pepper over already done omelette's. The eggs Dad made tasted just yumm! I am reminded of the taste as I write this post.

While my eggs don't come anywhere close to Dad's I am at it( and yes, Dad I leave them runny) and someday my children will have similar things to say about me. Sigh!

Scrambled eggs( serves 2)

Ingredients

Eggs: 2

Onion: 1, chopped really fine

Mushrooms: 2/3, sliced really thin and then chopped

Tomatoes: 1, finely chopped

Green chillies: 2, chopped fine

Green coriander/dhania patta: 2/3 tablespoons

Milk: 2/3 tbsp( surprised? Trick to making your omelette's/scrambled eggs really fluffy)

Salt: To taste

Freshly ground pepper: 1 tsp

Oil: 1 tsp

Salami/Sausage cut into small pieces would also enhance the taste.

Method

Though this is easy enough to make, it is still easier to get it wrong and leathery( Ask me rather ask my sis). So here is a step by step guide to get your scrambled eggs right, every time. Before you start do make sure that you have the eggs, veggies and seasonings ready.

In a bowl break the eggs. Add the milk to it, salt and pepper. With a fork beat 25- 30 strokes to blend the mixture( do not over beat the eggs as that would toughen the protein in the whites). Some of my friends insists that the best way to make scrambled eggs is to break it directly onto the pan. I disagree. Each to his egg.

In a non stick pan heat the oil. Add the onions and saute till onions turns glassy. Next add the mushrooms, green chillies, tomatoes and fry for a little while. Add the coriander.

Then pour the egg mixture into the pan and start scrambling the egg immediately( do not let the egg settle down or coat the pan).

Cook till the egg is almost done. The consistency should be a little runny.

Serve with some hot, (buttered) toast and you are good to go.

This also works well as a cracker topping and can be served as a starter. To make your starter a little more interesting you could add some grated cheese to the scramble as you cook. Would give it a smoother texture. Add some chilly flakes if you want to make it spicier.

Use this as a sandwich filling though for sandwiches boiled eggs work the best.

The possibilities are endless. A wee bit of imagination and an experimentative palate is all it takes.

Bon Apetit and Happy Cooking!